Question 1

True or false: Mel Brooks wrote and directed every single film in which he appeared as an actor.

Accepted Answer

False. Brooks acted in films he didn't direct, like 'The Muppet Movie' and 'Look Who's Talking Too,' as well as voicing roles in animated features.

Question 2

True or false: Mel Brooks directed the 1977 parody 'High Anxiety' to spoof Alfred Hitchcock films.

Accepted Answer

True. True. 'High Anxiety' parodies Hitchcock classics like 'Vertigo' and 'Psycho,' with Brooks starring as a nervous psychiatrist.

Question 3

True or false: Mel Brooks won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for 'The Producers' (1968).

Accepted Answer

True. He won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for 'The Producers'—his first feature film, which also launched his directing career.

Question 4

True or false: Mel Brooks originally wanted to be a serious dramatic actor before turning to comedy.

Accepted Answer

False. Brooks started as a comedy writer for Sid Caesar; he never seriously pursued dramatic acting—his first love was always making people laugh.

Question 5

True or false: Mel Brooks is the only person to have won an Emmy for playing a character based on himself.

Accepted Answer

False. Mel Brooks has won multiple Emmys for writing and producing, but he has never won an acting Emmy for playing himself. Therefore, the claim is false.

Question 6

True or false: Mel Brooks served as a combat engineer in World War II, helping to clear mines.

Accepted Answer

True. Brooks served in the U.S. Army during WWII as a combat engineer, defusing mines in Europe—a surprising fact from his youth.

Question 7

True or false: Mel Brooks's original title for 'Blazing Saddles' was 'Black Bart,' but he changed it to avoid sounding too serious.

Accepted Answer

True. Brooks confirmed the working title was 'Black Bart.' He changed it because the title sounded too serious and like a standard Western, not a comedy, so he chose the funnier 'Blazing Saddles.'

Question 8

True or false: Mel Brooks has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award.

Accepted Answer

True. He won an Oscar (1969) for 'The Producers' screenplay, Emmys for 'The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special' (1967) and others, a Grammy for a comedy album (1999), and three Tonys for 'The Producers' musical (2001), completing the EGOT.

Mel Brooks Trivia Questions